Electrical indicating device



'NEIL R. S. O

ELEGTRICAL INDICATING DEVICE July 17, 1923.

1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March l.

/7 fr V Hf O G Nl 6 9 9 9 La kr Julu, 1923. 1.461.830

MUJER P05 T Patented .lnly 17, `1923.

entre sra Es ear-enr poesie-n nononrn `s'irrnanr oNEIn or Lennon, ENGLAND.

ELEo'rnicnt `iivi:Lemaire nEvICE.

Application akamai-@i1 1, i920. serial No. 362,417;

To @ZZ 'io/mm it may concern.' f

Re it known that l, Rononri-I STUART ONnin, a subject of the King of Great nalling` systems, it is particularly advanta` geous in systems such as that disclosed in the specification of my application for Letters Patent in the nited States for Improvement in electrical indicating devices, tiled Feb. 11, 1920, Serial Number 357,890, Patent No. 1,377,427, dated May 10, 1921.

The invention consists oian indicator coin-p prising a casing having a single display opening and means for interposingbetween y a light and this display opening a pre-selected disc or slide having upon it the indication it is desired to expose. rllhe invention is illustrated diagrainmatically in the accompanying drawings, in its particular application to a helm signalling system.

In these drawings Fig. 1 is a transverse section and Fig. 2 a front elevation of an indicator constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the rudder post, the drum, the contacts and the electrical circuits. i

Referring to these drawings the numerals 1, 2 and 3 designate lamps each of a different colour, for instance 1 being a white lamp., 2 a greenv lamp, and 3 a red lamp, each `ot which, is automatically brought into circuit in pre-selected manner as, for instance, in the manner described in the specification of my application before alluded to.

Surrounding` the display opening 4 a number of electromagnetic devices are disposed, these devices each consisting of `an electro-magnet 5 having a pivoted armature 6 whichis connected by a pivoted link 7 to an arm 8 rigidly attached to a translucent pivoted disc 9 upon which the indication it is desired to convey is applied. Thus when circuit to the magnet 5 is completed, the armature 6 is attracted and the disc 9 will be moved so as to become interposed between the lamps`1,2 and 3 and the"display opening 4. In Fig. 2 the positioning is illustrated, but for convenience the discs 9 have been' shown in front elevation, whereas in fact they would be seen'in edge view as"6U will be readily understood.

n theparticular application of my invention ill ustratef`l-that otithe indicator of a helm signalling device the operation is as follows, and will be clearly understood upon" U5 reference' to Figure. described later. `'lilith the helm in central position the white light 1 will be illuminated andrwhen the helm moves to porti7 or starboard the appro` priate red or green light as the caseinav be"'70 will appear. nl/Vhen the helm is 5 degrees` oneither side, circuit will be completed to `the electro-magnetic device controllingfa `disc having the number applied to it.

llVhen the helm is 10 degrees over on either "75 side. the circuit to the magnetic device controllingthe disc having the indication 10 will be completed yand therefore atvarioiis positionsl of the rudder the corresponding disc comes into display position' in accord ance with the rudder movement. and a clear indication of the rudder position is given by the combination of the number displayed and the colour.

Referring to Fig. 3 of the drawings, the 85 numeral 11 -designatesthe rudder post which isconnected toa contact drum 12. The contact drum 12 has its contacts arranged to correspond with certain positions of the rudder. For themoment it is only necessary to consider three positions, corresponding to the central position of the rudder and positions both to port and cstarboard `The contact drum 12 moves with the rudder post 11, and I provide a pair of contacts 13 95 and 14, one corresponding to the port and the other to cstarboard/d. These c0ntacts 13 and 14 are arranged on the drum on either side oF the central position and witha stationary contact 13b or 14h to complete the circuit ott an electric lamp or indicator 1 or 2 respectively each of a particular color. lilith the rudder in precisely the central position, neither of the drum contral position will canse contact to be made U0 one or other of them serves. by cooperation -190 between one or the other of the drum con tacts 13 `and 14 and in one or other of the cooperating contacts 13""V orfllb' and one or other of the lamps 1 or 2 will be illuminated or one or other of two indications made. The

lamp or indicator signal'fa'ssociate'dwith the port contact 13 may be one color, and that associated with the starboard contact 111 another, so that immediately after either of.

the lamps becomes illuminated the helmsman or other person. provided with indication llamps-will know that the rudderhas moved from the central position' and the color ofthey light or indicator exhibited will lin-form himv as' to the direction of the movevment.

Various positions; of the rudder are indicated by reason of drufm contacts 1:7 connected together i-u pairs: cooperating` with stationary contacts 18 through which circuits to indicator coilsA (or lamps) 5 are eS- 4 line tothe stationary contacts 16 with which ,the drum `contact 16b cooperates.` .In the central position. of the rudder a stationary contact` 16c coincides with. a drum contact and when the rudder moves,1 say five deprees,- ineither direction, the drum contact becomes. separated from the stationary contact and the white light goes out, a colored light being substituted.

Aedthougj-h I have described my' invention in its application to helm signalling7 it will be understood that it may be applied to other 'indicators'.

"Whatv I lclaim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is An indicator i'or indicatingr the position of a ships helm, comprising a casingI having a display opening, illuminating devices behind. said opening and each ot a different color, a plurality of pivoted and transparent discs spaced around said opening and having indicia,v a corresponding number oielectro-magnet devices operatively `connected to said discs, and switching means operatively connected to the ships rudder and cooperatwith the illuminating and relectromagnet devices whereby the movement of said helm to one side of the neutral position causes one of said illuminating` vdevices to be energized and movement of the helm to the other side causes another of said illuminating devices of different color to be energized, said movement also causing one or other of the Y magnetic devices to be energized so as to interpose the corresponding,r disc between the illuminating device and the display opening, said disc indicating the approximate number of degrees of movement of the helm` on either side of the neutral position.

In Awitness whereof I afi-ix my signature.

noD'oLrH" srininr onnin 

